What I Did for Love
by mattnme04
Summary: How far would you go just for love? How far is too far? A chain of events suddenly changes the lives of Troy and Gabriella and those around them. How will everyone cope?
1. Just Can't Believe It

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

Chapter 1

Never did I think I would be here.

I sat in the first row of seats with his family, listening once in a while to the different speakers at the microphone. I couldn't concentrate on everything they were saying, still unable to believe that I was sitting there. But I needed to focus.

I was next. And I had no idea what to say.

I felt a nudge in my side as I looked to my left and saw his mom, Lucy, motion that it was my turn. I moved in what seemed like slow motion. I slowly walked up to the microphone and grabbed it with my shaky hand. As I looked out at all the people who had gathered here in memory of him, I noticed all the tear-stained faces that mirrored mine. I took a breath, trying to calm myself as I began a speech I hadn't prepared in advance. I just knew that somehow the words would come.

"I..uh…I don't really know what to say that hasn't already been said. We all know what a good person Troy was. He was one of the most giving, loyal, kind, and loving guys you could ever ask for. He didn't know a stranger. I remember back in high school, everyone was his friend. Everyone wanted to be his friend, but half the time it wasn't because of his social status. It was because he showed them a friendly, kind side that a lot of people lack. A side of himself that most people had never been shown before and they were drawn to it."

I took another deep breath. "Troy was my best friend. We'd been friends for what seemed like forever." I smiled as I thought about him. "We confided everything in each other. Sometimes this was good and sometimes it was bad. Unfortunately this past year, it wasn't exactly things I wanted to be hearing from him. College was a different ball game for him. His social status had changed, and even though that didn't change who he was as a person, it changed how people looked at him. His fellow college classmates didn't look up to him and weren't always friendly to him.

"Although he enjoyed the classes he was taking and enjoyed learning, college wasn't a very good experience for him this past year. I saw a side of Troy I had never seen before. I saw a broken down Troy, one who wasn't afraid to shed tears in front of me on his hardest days. However, in the end, I think all the pressures finally got to him." I reached up to wipe away the tears that were quickly cascading down my cheeks. "When Lucy called me a week ago to tell me about his accident, I couldn't believe it. He couldn't be gone. That was the thought that kept going through my head. And I didn't want him to be gone because there was something that had been left unsaid between us.

"It wasn't until a few months ago that we finally realized we had feelings for each other. We tried the whole dating thing, and it was going really well. We loved being with one another and I don't think either of us could have been happier. But someone came between us and caused us to break up. We hadn't talked in a couple of months before his accident. So the day that Lucy called me, all I could think was…" I fought back a sob as I wiped away more tears. "All I could think was that I never got to tell him I loved him," I said as my voice cracked. I let out a sob as I laid the microphone down and walked back over to my chair where Lucy was waiting for me with open arms.

"Oh, sweetie. I didn't realize you felt that way." We sat there and cried, unaware of the silence in the room as the next speaker prepared to talk.

A few more of Troy's friends stepped up and gave short speeches about Troy's life and memories they shared with him. There wasn't a dry eye in the building. As the memorial service concluded, Lucy pulled me to the side.

"Gabi, would you come back to our house with us? We have some stuff we want to give you."

I nodded. "Sure, Lucy. I wasn't really looking forward to going home anyway."

Lucy gave me a wistful smile and hugged me. "I know he loved you, too," she whispered in my ear. This caused my tears to start up again.

"I wanted to tell him so bad, but now he's gone and the last memory of us together is an argument." I broke down in sobs once again. I felt an arm wrap around me and looked over to see my mom.

"Honey, let's get you home."

"No, Mom," I said, wiping my tears and taking a breath to steady myself. "Lucy wants me to come to their house and get some stuff. I'll be home later. I just need to be with them right now."

My mom nodded and walked off, knowing how close I had grown to the Boltons over the years. They were my second family, whether Troy and I were talking or not.

I finished up talking with a few people as everyone was leaving. The Boltons and I were the last ones there, just standing in the parking lot.

Jack, Troy's dad, walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. "We all love you. You know that, right, Gabriella?" I nodded. "Good. You have no idea how happy it made me to hear you say what you did. I know Troy would have loved your speech and I know he felt the same way about you."

"If he felt that way, then why wasn't he willing to work things out with me?"

Troy and I had been dating for a couple of months, when Troy called me informing me we needed to talk. I knew it couldn't have been good by the tone of his voice. I asked him if we could meet up, but he refused to see me face to face. He wanted to do it all over the phone. He told me he'd been talking to one of my friends who had told him a bunch of things about me. My friend, Amber, had told Troy several things I had said, like how I hated how Troy kept me so busy all the time and had no time for other things and how I wished we didn't spend so much time together like we did. Amber also told Troy how I had told her a couple of things Troy had confided in only me. I argued with Troy, telling him that the things Amber said weren't true. At no point had I ever said anything like that. But he didn't believe me.

Troy never once yelled at me or raised his voice in any way throughout the conversation, but I knew he was upset. I tried to explain my side of things, but Troy just wouldn't believe me. The last thing he told me was that he needed some time to think through everything. That was the last time we talked. After that, I gave him some space, but after a couple weeks of not hearing anything, I tried contacting him, just wanting things to work out for us. However, he wouldn't answer his phone or text messages.

Two months passed without any communication between us, when I got the call from Lucy telling me there had been an accident. Troy had been driving home when he lost control of his car and went off the side of the road and down an embankment. His car had rolled and caught fire at the bottom. He was killed instantly. He was only 19 and had so much of his life left to live.

Jack responded, "I think that's something that would have to be explained by Troy. Come on. Let's go to the house."

I got in my car and followed Jack, Lucy, and Troy's older sister Kelsi back to their house. When we arrived, I watched as Lucy picked up an envelope from the kitchen counter and held it out to me.

"This is from Troy for you. If you want, you can go up to his room and read it. We'll wait down here for you. You'll probably want to talk afterwards."

I frowned in confusion at her as I took the offered envelope, but did as she said. I slowly walked to Troy's room, entering with apprehension. As I looked around, I almost felt a sense of being in a place I wasn't wanted. I couldn't count the number of times I had been in this room, but this time it was definitely different.

I walked over and sat on the end of the bed, opening the envelope and taking the letter out. I took a deep breath and prepared myself to read what Troy had written. As I unfolded the letter, I was surprised to see what fell out of the folded sheets of paper.

**Please leave a review. This is an idea that suddenly popped in my head…not too sure where exactly I'm going with it, but the plot is slowly coming to me. I'm still working on "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder". The next chapter should be up by the beginning of the week.**


	2. What Are You Going to Do?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Chapter 2**

I looked down between my feet where the item fell. There, sparkling on the carpet, was a diamond ring. An engagement ring. Tears once again came to my eyes – something I had grown quite used to over the past week. I couldn't believe Troy had bought something like this. I didn't realize how serious he was about us. But why did he write me a letter with this enclosed and how did Lucy know to give it to me? Was his death planned? I couldn't bear to think about it like that. I picked up the ring and held it tightly in one hand as I glanced down at the messy writing of Troy's on the papers that were grasped firmly in my other hand. I began to read.

_Brie,_

_I can't even begin to tell you how much pain I have gone through these past several weeks. I know you have as well, or at least I hope they affected you at least slightly because that means that I meant something to you like you mean something to me. You mean everything to me. I wish that things hadn't gone the way they did, but they had to. I'm sure you're sitting there extremely confused right now and I'm going to explain everything to you._

_Brie, the past year has been almost unbearable for me. Whether it seems this way or not, you were the only positive thing in my life, which is why I fell in love with you. I always looked forward to coming home for breaks from college because it meant I got to spend time with you. Even my parents noticed that I only had a smile on my face when you were around. I love my family and they tried to be there for me, but it just wasn't ever the same as when I was in your presence._

_When I was at school, my classmates were always teasing me about one thing or another. I never really understood why, but it finally got to the point I just couldn't handle it anymore. I know I never told you this, but there were a couple of times it resulted in a fight. I'd get so angry at whoever was taunting me that day and before I knew it, we were swinging punches. Violence wasn't the way to go and it never actually solved anything._

_I also didn't tell you that I never actually re-enrolled in classes for this fall. I just couldn't go back to Berkeley. I have never been to a place until college where I dreaded going. But that was Berkeley for me. I always hated going back to college, and not for the usual college student reasons. It was because of the taunting and teasing. Honestly, I felt like I was back in high school and I was going through the things that part of the kids I befriended went through. It was an awful feeling._

_But what was almost just as bad, was coming back to Albuquerque. Even though I loved the time I knew I would get with you and the time I had with my family, I dreaded the rest of the time I would spend in our hometown. I wasn't the same basketball superstar that I once was in high school. I'd been knocked down several levels and it was hard to try to still be that same kid from high school around everyone in Albuquerque. None of our friends ever knew about what went on at college and I just never felt like I was living up to the expectations that were still placed on me when I was back home with everyone. There was just too much pressure all around._

_That's why I wanted to end my life, especially after we broke up. When Alice started telling me all those things, I wanted to end my life right then, but I knew you deserved a chance to explain things. That night when I told you I needed to think through things, I talked with my parents and told them what was going on. They made me realize that I could trust you over anyone else. I wanted to call you and apologize for everything, but my dad and I ended up having a conversation. One that would change my life and those around me forever._

_My dad had been watching me over the previous months and saw me slowly going downhill. He saw how badly things were affecting me where you were concerned and he grew more and more concerned for me. He told me he was afraid that it was only going to get worse, and in the end they'd lose me. That's when Dad came up with a plan._

_One thing you don't know about my family is the fact that my dad owns a company in London. You knew my dad made good money and we've never struggled in that area. His management position is just a cover-up. He actually oversees a huge corporation in London and has used it as a means of getting a few people out of trouble throughout the years it's been in business. His plan was to use it as a way of getting me out of trouble._

_He vowed that he was never going to use it for Kelsi or me, but he felt like he had no other option. One of the men who works for him makes ID cards, social security cards, passports, etc. My dad's plan was to change my identity and send me to London to have me work for him under a different alias for the rest of my life. This would get me out of the area and away from the negative pressures of my life, so that maybe I could once again live my life in peace._

_I couldn't believe my dad presented this idea to me. Never did I think that I would be a part of something like this. But the further he explained the plan and how it would work, the more I liked the idea. There was just one little thing I didn't like. I hated the idea of being away from you._

_That's where you come into this plan. Everything that has happened in the past two months has happened for a reason. Dad told me the only way this plan would work is if we faked my death…hence the accident. So if you haven't caught on yet, I didn't actually die in that accident. It was staged. I'm actually in Phoenix staying in a hotel away from everyone I know for the time being. I'll be headed to London soon._

_However, I would love to take a wife with me so that I'm not going alone. And I would love my wife to be you. So Gabriella Montez, will you please marry me? I know I'm asking a lot because I'm asking you to give up everything you've ever known to come be with me. You'd have to change your name as well and cease contact with friends and family, but I can't imagine having to go the rest of my life without you._

_There's a ring enclosed. Tonight at midnight, I'm going to come to your house after everyone is in bed. If you're wearing that ring, I'll know you've made the decision to come with me. If not, then this will be the last chance for us to say goodbye. This was the reason for me ignoring you. I knew that contact had to be ceased with you in order for this to not look suspicious. Even though people won't suspect me because they think I'm dead, I didn't want them to connect the two of us at any point._

_So right now, I want you to go talk to my parents. They'll explain more if you need it. But after that, I need you to go home. After everyone goes to bed, I want you to start getting your things together. You need to bring whatever you're going to need for the next week. In two days, we'll be in London, and once we get there, we can worry about necessities._

_Give this letter to my mom so she can burn it. I'll see you in a few hours. I can't wait to finally see your beautiful face again, and hopefully call you my wife._

_Remember that I love you so much._

_Forever yours no matter what happens,  
Troy_

I was even more confused by the end of the letter, trying to comprehend what exactly was going on. Troy was alive? And he was moving to London? And he wanted me to give up everything, including my family and go with him to live there for the rest of my life?

I took the letter and slowly walked downstairs, Troy's ring still firmly grasped in my hand. As I handed the letter to Lucy, she looked at me with questions in her eyes.

"What are you going to do?"

**Well there it is...I know there were several people who were confused on why the story started out so sadly, but I promise things will start to look up from here. It's a different kind of story and one that was very intriguing to me when the idea popped in my head...I couldn't resist writing it! Leave me a review and let me know what you think!**


	3. Weighing Options

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

**Chapter 3**

_"What are you going to do?"_

I sat down with Troy's family, looking at each of them, still confused. I finally looked back at Lucy to answer her question.

"I…uh…I'm not sure. I'm still so confused by everything. I mean things have taken a drastic turn." I shook my head, trying to focus as I held my hand to my forehead.

Jack nodded. "Gabriella, I know things are really messed up right now, but you have to understand why we did all this."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can see why you did it on some level. But wasn't there an easier way? Like just switching colleges or getting Troy some professional help or something?"

Kelsi smiled wistfully at Gabriella. "Gabi, we weighed all those options with Troy and in the end we all felt this is what was going to be best for him…especially if you were with him." She reached over from her seat in the chair next to mine and grabbed my hand. "Now, don't think we're trying to get rid of you, but we really do hope you go with him. We know that this is going to be the best thing for him. It's a fresh start for him. New people, new job, new environment…and all with the one person who he wants to spend the rest of his life with."

I smiled at her, tears coming to my eyes once again, but for different reasons this time. I wanted so badly to be with Troy, and spending the rest of my life with him sounded amazing. I nodded at Kelsi before looking back to his parents. "I'm not really sure what I'm going to do. I need some time to think about it. I mean this is a huge decision. But how exactly is this supposed to work?"

Jack spoke up. "Well I have a friend in London who made up some new identification documents for you both, Troy for definite, but you only if you want it. We have everything you need to prove you are who you say you are. When you get to London, I have a company apartment set up for the two of you. It's completely furnished for you to live in until you get a house built. I have an architect drawing up some blueprints for you right now that you'll go look at next week. I only want the best life for the two of you while you're there."

I shook my head trying to take it all in. "So what does this mean for my family? How's that going to work?"

"If you choose to go, Troy is going to pick you up tonight after everyone is already asleep. You're going to drive to Phoenix and catch a flight out from there to go to London. You'll use your new IDs that I have here." Jack picked up a large envelope and waved it at me. "Your family can't know that you left, and once they find out, if the plan goes the way it should, your family will just think you ran away. You'll go missing, they won't be able to find you and eventually they'll think the worst." I frowned at Jack. This plan sounded awful. "I know…it's not the nicest plan, but I think it's the only way it's going to work. The only way you'll be able to keep contact with your parents is if you think they'll go along with the plan."

I sat there thinking about it for a moment. There was no way my parents would ever go along with this plan. They'd probably think the Boltons were crazy and would turn them in. I shook my head at Jack. "There's no way my parents could ever find out. So that means if I leave tonight, I can never talk to them again." Lucy nodded. I frowned as I looked down at my lap. "Will I get to see you?"

Lucy nodded again. "Yes, we'll make trips over to see you occasionally. Jack goes on business trips to check up on things over there, so we'll definitely come see you. I know it's not the same, but we really do feel like this is going to be for the best, Gabriella. I hope you can understand that. We trust you and we know you only want what's best for Troy."

I nodded. I glanced at my lap for a moment then back at the three people I had always considered my family. "I need to think this through."

Jack stood up and nodded as I stood up from the chair. He stepped over and wrapped me in an embrace. "We love you, Gabriella, and I know you'll make whatever decision is going to be best for you. Don't let what we said persuade you. We want you to think of Troy, but ultimately, you need to think about what's going to be best for you in the long run."

I smiled. "I know. Thanks, Jack. I love all of you. I'll talk to you soon."

I left and drove home, truly thankful for my apartment that was above the garage. During my senior year, my dad had decided to fix me an apartment of my own to live in above the garage, knowing that during college I was going to want a little more independence. It was his way of giving it to me without completely setting me free.

When I got home, I went in the house long enough to let my parents know I was home, but that I needed some time alone. They said they understood and I turned to head out to my apartment. As I stood in my room, I looked around at my things, spotting my suitcase on the top shelf of my closet. I thought about the events of the day and the decision that I had to make. I dug my hand into my pocket where I had placed the ring Troy had left for me, really trying to weigh the two options I was presented with: stay here or go with Troy.

I couldn't fully imagine either scenario. Staying here meant that I would be away from my family and I wouldn't ever see them again. My family was a close-knit family, and I just couldn't imagine making life decisions or experiencing things in life without them being involved in some way. I also couldn't imagine not finishing my education at Stanford. That was my dream. Most of my life I had dreamed of attending that school and becoming a lawyer. What if I was to go to London? Would I even go to school? If I did, my identity would have changed and I'd have to start all over.

On the other hand…I couldn't imagine life without Troy. The past two months without him had been miserable. And the past week had been even worse with the thought in mind that I would never get to see him again. I couldn't imagine having to actually tell him goodbye tonight and sending him to London to be by himself for the rest of his life, unless he was to meet another woman. And I couldn't imagine that either. I didn't want to picture him falling in love with someone else. I wanted to be that someone. I wanted to be the only one he ever wanted to be with.

My head was playing tricks on me. I kept imagining all kinds of different endings to this scenario that was playing out before me. My heart wanted one thing, but my head wanted another. My heart wanted Troy, but my head kept telling me that I needed to stay here. And right now, my head was being the more rational of the two. Jack had told me to be sure to make the decision that was going to be the best for me in the future. London seemed like the obvious choice because Troy was going to be there. However, as I analyzed everything, I kept asking myself, "Would I grow to resent Troy for this in the future?"

I looked down at the ring that lay in my hand. It was beautiful and exactly what I would have picked out myself. Troy knew me so well. I wanted to wear that ring, but something was holding me back…something that told me I wouldn't be making the right decision.

I lay down on my bed, still clutching the ring, as more tears cascaded down my face and sobs wracked my body. This was a feeling I had grown accustomed to over the past several weeks, but now I knew what the future held. I knew that in a few hours, I would have to say goodbye, for real this time, to the only boy who held my heart.

**Please leave a review! I'll try to have another update up maybe by the beginning of the week.**


	4. I Guess This is Goodbye?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Chapter 4**

Sometime later, a noise jostled me awake. I looked over at my bedside clock: 12:15. I sat up remembering that Troy should be here. I looked around me and jumped when I noticed Troy leaned up against the wall just inside my closed door. He had a small smile on his face.

I jumped up from my bed and ran to where he stood, wrapping my arms around his neck. I heard him inhale as his nose nuzzled in my hair against my neck.

"I missed you so much," he whispered against my ear.

I pulled back and looked at him, keeping my hands locked behind his neck. "I missed you, too. These past two months have been absolute hell," I said, keeping my voice quiet.

He let out a sigh. "I'm so sorry, Brie. I wish things could have been different, but this wouldn't work out for me. I know we've both been hurting, but I know that with a fresh start, things will be better for me." He paused and looked back and forth between my eyes. "I just hope that I can make it the best possible situation…and that will only happen if you're with me. Please tell me you're going with me and that I don't have to say goodbye to you right now." I heard his voice crack with emotion as tears began to pool in his eyes.

I brought my right hand around to rub against his check as he leaned into it. Tears began to pool in my own eyes as I saw all the pain that his held. I wished I could tell him what he wanted to hear, but I knew I couldn't do it. I knew I would resent him later for taking me away from my family.

I slowly shook my head at him as I felt tears slip down my cheeks. The pain in his eyes intensified as he looked at me.

"I'm so sorry, Troy," I said, fight back the sobs that were once again trying to consume me. "I really wish I could say yes, but I can't. Please don't think I don't love you, because I do…so much that it hurts so bad to know that I have to say goodbye. But your dad reminded me that I have to do what's going to be best for me. Right now, that's me staying here with my family and finishing college. It's always been my dream to marry you, so please don't think that I didn't give your offer a lot of thought, but it's also been my dream my whole life to attend Stanford and become a lawyer, and if I go with you, I can't achieve that."

Troy looked down at the floor and stepped away slightly from me before looking back up and locking eyes once again. His tears had slipped from his eyes. "I was so sure…" he said quietly. "I was so sure I knew what your answer was going to be. I was so excited to come see you tonight, just knowing that we were going to be leaving together." He turned around and walked away a few steps, running his fingers through his hair. "God, if only I had known this was how it was going to turn out, I would turn back time and do everything all over again, except this time I would just suffer through everything because it would mean I'd still have you."

I let out a sob as I listened to him. It made my heart hurt even worse as he explained just exactly how much I mean to him. The feeling was mutual. I just wished the decision had been an easier one.

"I'm so sorry, Troy. I really wish I could go with you. Please know this was not an easy decision. But you're asking a lot of me to go with you. I'd have to give up my family and all my friends and start completely fresh, only knowing you and your parents. It's just not fair. I can't do that to my family."

"So we go ahead and leave and call them in a couple days and tell them all about the plan. I'm sure they'll understand," Troy tried to reason with me.

I shook my head. "Troy, do you realize who you're talking about? There's no way my parents would go along with a plan like this. If they found out they'd think it was insane and then go turn in you and your parents. We'd all be in huge trouble."

Troy let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "You're right," he said quietly. He walked the few steps back over to me and slipped his arms around my waist. "So I guess this is goodbye."

I looked down to where our bodies joined, trying to avoid his intense gaze, and nodded before looking back up. "I guess so," I whispered.

"I'm going to miss you so much. I love you, please remember that. I'll never forget everything you've ever done for me. You have meant more to me than anyone ever could and I'll never find anyone like you."

"I love you and I'll miss you, too," I said.

"I want you to promise me something, though."

I tilted my head as I looked up at him, silently inquiring what it was he wanted me to do. "What?"

"I want you to promise me that you'll move on and find someone that will make you happy. But just don't settle for less than you deserve. I know it's always been your dream to get married and have children. You're going to make someone a wonderful wife and you're going to be a great mother. Just don't go out and marry the first guy you find. Only marry him if you know he's going to make you truly happy. I wouldn't want to ever see you unhappy."

I gave Troy a wistful smile, shaking my head at him. "Troy I don't want to ever think about getting married to someone when you're the only man who could ever hold my heart."

Troy shook his head at me, frowning slightly. "Please, Brie. Please promise me. I don't want you living life alone and unhappy. I want you to fulfill all your dreams and I know those are a couple of them."

My tears started up again as I thought about what Troy was asking me to do. I knew I was making the right decision for me right now, but I also couldn't imagine marrying someone if it wasn't Troy. On the other hand, I knew if I didn't agree to what Troy was asking, he'd just keep asking me until I finally caved. "I promise, Troy."

He gave me a small smile and leaned down to place a kiss against my forehead, his lips lingering against my skin. I closed my eyes as I relished in the moment, trying to commit it to memory knowing it would be the last time I would ever experience this with him. He pulled back and looked me in the eyes before slowly leaning in and placing his lips against mine, his grip on my waist tightening as he pulled me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood up on my tiptoes to reach him better. I savored the kiss, something I had been missing in the past couple of months, but also knowing this kiss held so much more meaning and depth than any of the other kisses we'd shared in the past. This kiss was full of longing, desire, love, but most of all it was a kiss of farewells.

Troy was the first to pull back and I noticed the tears that had once again pooled in his now dull blue eyes. I reached up to brush the hair back from his eyes.

"I'll always love you, Troy. Please always remember that."

He nodded. "I'll always love you, and I'll never forget you." He reached down and grabbed my hand, pulling it to his lips, before releasing it and stepping towards the door. His hand rested on the doorknob and he looked back at me. "Goodbye, Brie."

"Bye, Troy."

As he left, I saw him flip the hood up on his black hoodie before he shut the door. When I heard the door click in place, I made my way over to my window and watched him make his way down the street and out of sight. I walked over to my bed and flopped down, finally letting the tears and sobs that I had been trying to hold back overcome my body before I eventually slipped into a restless sleep.


	5. Regrets

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Chapter 5**

Four months had passed since that dreadful night. I had finished another semester of college; another semester closer to achieving what I had always thought was my dream. But the farther I got into my studies throughout the semester, the more I regretted the decision I made that night. I couldn't believe I chose college and a job over Troy. I also factored my family into that, but ultimately I felt like when I had explained it to Troy, I had placed my dream college and job above my dream of marrying him…and that was the farthest thing from what I wanted. My number one dream had always been to marry him, but I had blown that chance.

I was currently on winter break, only four days away from Christmas. I was enjoying the break. I'd been working hard throughout the semester, mainly trying to keep my mind off of the events that had all taken place during the summer. I decided to take this day to finish putting away the things I'd taken to college. As I was putting away some of my necklaces in my jewelry box, a sparkling piece of jewelry lying in the bottom caught my eye. My breath caught in my throat as I realized what it was. I hadn't seen it in nearly four months and had almost forgotten it was in there. It was the ring Troy had given me.

I had forgotten to give it back to him that night and had placed it in my jewelry box for safe keeping until I could give it to Jack and Lucy to return to him. But in all the craziness of getting ready to head back to college, I had not had the chance to go see the Boltons. I took the ring out and looked at it, admiring its beauty and thinking about the fact that had I made a different choice, that ring could be sitting perfectly on my finger and I would be married to the most amazing man.

I stood there thinking about that, thinking about how many times I had begun to regret the decision I made, knowing I was not as happy as I could be. Yes, I loved the fact that I was still close to my family and that I was able to talk to them every day. I also loved that I was still able to go to Stanford and had the opportunity to one day become a lawyer. But those last two things weren't worth everything. Troy was worth everything. I only wished I had realized that sooner, before it was too late. But now I had no clue where Troy was except that he lived in London. I had no clue how to find him because I didn't even know his name anymore. But as I stood there thinking about it, I knew there were about three people who did know, and who I hoped would be able to help me.

I left my house and made my way to the Boltons. I knew Jack would be home soon from work, but Lucy would be there and possibly Kelsi, too. When I arrived, I got out of my car and went to knock on the door. Lucy answered the door and looked surprised to find me there.

"Gabriella? What are you doing here, Sweetie?"

I smiled at her and walked inside and she motioned for me to come in. "I need to talk to you guys. Do you have a few minutes?"

"Absolutely. Let's go sit down in the living room. Jack should be home any minute. Do you need him as well?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I think it would be best if he was here as well."

Lucy nodded. "Ok. Well we'll just wait then. How was your semester?"

"It was good," I said. "Long and tiring, but it went well."

"That's wonderful. I'm glad to hear that." Just then Jack came in the front door and sat his stuff down as he peeked into the living room at us.

"Gabriella! What are you doing here? This is a wonderful surprise to come home to." He made his way over to where I was sitting as I stood up and gave him a hug.

"I came because I need to talk to the two of you about something." Jack nodded, signaling for me to continue as we sat back down. "I made an awful mistake four months ago."

Lucy's eyes widened. "You mean…"

I nodded. "I can't believe I told him I couldn't go. I think I just let too many other things get in my way at that point. It was such a sudden decision and I don't think I had enough time to think it through. I don't think I've ever regretted a decision like I regret this one. I miss him so much, guys, and I love him. He made me promise before he left to be sure to be happy in life, but I can't be happy if he's not here."

Jack let out a sigh. "Well to be completely honest, Troy hasn't been the happiest either. We can hear it in his voice when we talk to him. He's happy that he doesn't have to deal with all the teasing and taunting, but you were the one thing he had going good in his life that made him truly happy. He misses you too, Gabriella."

I felt the tears start to build. "Jack, I know it may be too late, but I'll always regret it even more if I don't ask…is it really too late to make the decision that I should have made four months ago? Or is there any way that I can spend the rest of my life with your son?"

Jack smiled. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Absolutely. I've never been more sure of anything in my whole life," I nodded.

"You do realize what this means, right?" Lucy asked. I nodded. "You wouldn't have any communication with your family or friends, you wouldn't finish school, you would become an entirely different person."

"I know. I'm prepared for that, as long as I have Troy."

Jack smiled and nodded. "Ok." He stood up and made his way to his office before coming back out with the envelope he had shown me the day of Troy's memorial service. "When do you want to go?"

"As soon as possible. I was thinking before Christmas. I know that's awful of me to leave my family like that during the holidays but I'd really like to be with Troy by Christmas."

"Alright." Jack reached into the envelope and pulled out an I.D. card. "In this envelope is everything you're going to need to get there. Don't use your current identity to purchase your airline ticket. Use your new one so no one can trace you. We'll use the plan we were going to use that night. Just leave during the night and catch a flight out before your family realizes you've left." I nodded, remembering how the plan was supposed to work. "Here's your new I.D."

I looked at the identification. "Isabelle Davis."

Jack nodded. "Troy is now Caleb Davis. I also have a marriage license here for you, now that Troy will have a wife." Jack paused and smiled, showing me how happy he was with this new arrangement. "There are a few other things in here that you're going to need. I'll let you go through everything, though. It's all self-explanatory."

Lucy got up and left the room, returning with a purse. "I fixed this up a few months ago for you, before you made your decision. It has a wallet in it and some money for you. There's enough cash in there to get you by until you're out of the country. Use it for your airline ticket and anything else you might need before you get to London. Once you get there, Troy will take care of you financially. You'll both be completely set."

Jack handed me a piece of paper and a key. "Here's the address of the apartment Troy is staying in right now. This is a spare key to it in case he's at work when you get there. Would you like us to let him know you're coming?"

I thought about it before shaking my head. "No, I think I'd like to surprise him if that's alright."

Lucy nodded. "I think he'd really like that."

"He's not…uh…seeing anyone...is he?" I stuttered, fearing the answer.

Lucy smiled. "Definitely not. Number one he's still head over heels in love with you. Number two he can't really date in his situation unless he lies to any woman he dates and doesn't tell them the truth about his situation. That's the downfall. But not anymore."

I smiled back at her, looking forward to seeing him again. "Is there anything else I need to know before I go?"

Jack and Lucy exchanged a glance before looking back at me. Jack spoke up. "I don't think so. I'm sure you'll have plenty of questions once you get there, but Troy will fill you in on everything. He's got everything covered over there."

I nodded and prepared to leave, taking the items with me that Jack had given me. I headed home and began planning out all the details of me leaving. I knew I had to be discreet about everything and make sure not to leave any trails. I began packing a few of my things before placing my suitcase under the bed before going to spend some time with my family for the last time. I would leave during the night and would not return. I'd take my suitcase and walk to the bus stop down the road and call a cab using the pay phone that was located there. Then I'd take the cab to the airport and take the 5 a.m. flight to London. I'd be out of the city before everyone awoke or even knew I was gone. I'd be out of their lives forever, and on my way to forming a brand new life and a new family with the only person I'd ever do this for. Why? Because I loved him.

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter...I know it's been long-awaited to see Gabriella make the decision to join Troy. I think there will probably be a few more chapters of this story and then it will be done. Leave me a review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Seeing Troy Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Chapter 6**

I had successfully slipped away in the middle of the night and caught a flight out of town. Now, after two layovers and hours on a plane, I stood outside the London airport waiting on a cab. It was mid-morning on Christmas Eve here. Lucy had informed me Troy had said he'd be working until noon that day before taking off a couple of days for the holidays, not having any reason for being home since he'd just be by himself. So I knew I would need the key Jack gave me to get into the apartment I'd now be sharing with Troy…my husband.

As I was traveling through the city in the back of the cab, I looked down at my left hand. There on my finger sat the ring that had been sitting in my jewelry box for four months. Now it was in its rightful place. But beside it was another ring, one that showed that I was forever bound to a certain blue-eyed man. In the envelope Jack had provided me with was this ring, my wedding band.

After a twenty minute ride, the cab finally pulled up in front of a large apartment building. I paid the fare and grabbed my small suitcase before getting out and heading up to the apartment Jack had told me was ours. I took out the key and unlocked the door. As I walked inside, I noticed how much it smelled like Troy. I had missed his scent.

I noticed how quiet the apartment was and looked at the clock. I'd still be here by myself for another couple of hours. I decided to explore the apartment and get familiar with my surroundings. I carried my suitcase until I found the bedroom, where I sat the bag down inside the door and out of the way. I noticed the bed wasn't made and there were a few clothes here and there, the room resembling the way Troy's had always looked when he lived with his parents.

After looking around the apartment, I decided I would pull out the book I had in my purse and read to pass the time. I had been sitting there for a while when I heard a key slide in the lock on the front door. I slowly closed my book after marking my spot and kept my eyes on the door, a smile on my face as I awaited seeing Troy again after so long.

Troy opened the door, his eyes focused on the floor as he made his way inside. He shut the door behind him as he began to walk past the living room, still not noticing my presence. I finally cleared my throat and saw him jump before jerking his head in my direction and fixing his gaze upon me.

"Brie?"

I smiled at him before standing up and making my way over to him. "Hi, Troy. Or should I say Caleb?"

Troy's mouth hung open for a few moments before he finally was able to say something. "W-wha-what are you doing here?" he stuttered.

Where to start….I took a deep breath. "Well…I realized how much of a mistake I made four months ago and your parents helped me to correct it. I can't believe I actually thought I could say goodbye to you. These past four months have been absolutely miserable without you, and I can't possibly live another moment unless you're by my side."

Troy frowned, and then smiled as it seemed he realized why I was there. "You mean…"

I nodded and held my left hand up in front of his face. A smile lit up his face as he picked me up and swung me around. He leaned down and captured my lips with his, kissing me with all the passion he was feeling. He slowly pulled back and locked eyes with me.

"You have no idea how happy you have just made me."

I let out a breath. "I think I do. I can't live without you, Troy. I know what I gave up, but being without you these past several months was awful. I don't want to have to live the rest of my life without you. I need to be with you."

"I still just can't believe you're here." He led me back to the couch and we sat down, his arm still firmly wrapped around me like he wasn't going to ever let me go. "I have to be honest with you. These past four months have been better because I had something to occupy my time with, I met some new people and made some new friends, and I haven't had to worry about everything that I dealt with back at home. But I could never be completely happy because I was constantly missing you."

I gave him a wistful smile. "I know exactly what you mean. I threw myself into my schoolwork because it was something that kept me busy a lot and kept my mind from wondering to what you were doing. But it was only a temporary fix. I was still always thinking about you and always regretting choosing that life over you. I can't believe I did that!" I let out a groan as I thought about that decision and how stupid it was.

"Hey…it's ok. You're here now. That's all that matters."

I smiled at him and nodded before laying my head down on his shoulder and snuggling into him. "So Christmas is tomorrow…"

"Yeah, what do you want to do? I didn't decorate because it was just me, but now that you're here, we can at least do something to celebrate together."

"I don't care if there's not a tree or lights or anything else," I said. "I just want to spend Christmas with you. That's all that matters to me."

Troy smiled. "I couldn't agree more." We sat there in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying being back together when Troy finally spoke up again. "So…you went to see my parents. I guess my dad gave you everything you needed."

I nodded against his shoulder. "Yeah, it's all in my suitcase. All my identification papers, our marriage license…which by the way I can't believe we can't even have a proper wedding. But I still ended up married to you, so I can't complain." I raised my head up and smiled at him.

"Well technically since you arrived today, our anniversary is on Christmas Eve. If I remember right, the only thing that was left off that document was the date. So we'll get that fixed. I'll take it to Ron at work and he'll fix it for us so everything is legitimate."

"So if today is technically our wedding…then tonight would be our wedding night," I stood up and wiggled my eyebrows at him.

There was a gleam in his eye as he smirked at me. I saw a look in his eyes I had only seen there a few times before when we had got caught up in the heat of the moment – desire. "You've got that right." He stood up quickly from his place on the couch, grabbing my hand and leading me quickly to the bedroom.

When we got in there, we stood next to the bed. Troy had wrapped his arms back around me, pulling me close. His hands were rubbing my sides gently. "You may now kiss the bride," he whispered before leaning down and kissing me. The kisses started off gentle but quickly turned deep and passionate. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him close, making sure to close any distance that was left between us. I wanted him as close to me as possible and I wanted to feel every part of him.

I felt Troy slowly work his hands down my sides and to the back of my thighs before he grasped them and pulled upwards. He lifted me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist, before he moved a few steps and began to gently lower me to the bed, never once breaking our kisses.

We had both been nervous as we began to undress one another. Neither of us had any expectations out of this as we'd never done this together or with anyone else. It was the first time for both of us. I was excited to share this intimate experience with him, my husband, but I was still nervous. I'd always been self-conscious about my body. But as we laid there, becoming one with each other, Troy reassured me over and over how beautiful I was and how much he loved me.

We laid there in the afterglow, breaths slowly returning to normal and a sense of peace enveloping us. Troy was the first to break the silence.

"I love you so much, Brie. You have no idea how much this means to me that you would give up everything just for me."

I snuggled up closer to Troy, my head resting on his chest. I reached across his stomach and grabbed his left hand in my right. "I did this for us. I love you, Troy, and I don't ever want to have to be without you again. But I also want to see you happy, and if me being here makes you happy, then that is what's going to happen."

Troy squeezed my hand. "Of course being with you is what is going to make me happy. You're the only person who could ever make me feel the way I do right now."

I moved my head so I could better see his face. This whole situation was something I was going to have to get used to, but as I looked at Troy, I knew I'd do anything for him as long as I had his love. And just seeing the smile and content on his face at that moment was enough.

**Thanks for reading! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!**


	7. Regrets Again?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Chapter 7**

Troy and I spent Christmas day together, just the two of us. We had gone grocery shopping the night before while there was still a grocery store open and had gotten the items we needed to fix a Christmas feast for the two of us, just like our parents would have done if they had been there. I had thought a couple times throughout the day about my family, wondering what they were doing. Were they still celebrating Christmas? Or were they looking for me?

Troy had decided to take off some time from work, taking off over a week so that he didn't have to be back until after the New Year. I was surprised, but he told me he just wanted to be able to spend some quality time with me now that I was there, and he assured me he needed some time off. He was one of the executives in the company, so being his own boss had its privileges. He told me to consider that week our first honeymoon. We stayed in the area so that I could get used to it, but he promised he'd take me on an actual honeymoon at a later time after I'd gotten settled into living in a new country.

Troy took me shopping on a couple of different days. I definitely enjoyed those days. I knew Troy wasn't having very much fun, though. He hated having to wait around on me all the time. But sometimes he left me in a store, knowing I'd be there for a while, while he went to look at something he was more interested in. By the end of those two days, I had developed a nice wardrobe that would fit any occasion.

I never realized how challenging it could be to shop with Troy, though. Even though we were able to find a few more things for his wardrobe as well, I had to listen to him whine the entire time we were shopping that second day. He would much rather have been at home in bed asleep or playing the video game system that he had in the apartment. After hearing him whine for several hours, I finally had had enough and it spurred the argument that caused us to go home early.

After having already been shopping for nearly four hours, we were looking in another store at some dress shirts that I knew Troy could use for work. As I looked through the various styles and colors, Troy continued to whine.

"Izzy…" This was Troy's new nickname for me. He had never called me by my full name before and said he wasn't going to start now. "Do we really have to get more stuff today? Didn't you get enough yesterday? Can't we just take what we've got and go home?"

I turned around and glared at Troy. "You know…if you hadn't gotten us into this, we would be at home. We'd be at home enjoying time together, just the two of us, or maybe even a little time with our families, instead of standing here in a store buying clothes so that I can have a new wardrobe." The words came out like vomit before I even realized what I was saying. After I processed the words that I had said, I realized my mistake.

Troy looked wounded. And I completely understood why. "Do you…" He looked away and took a breath before looking back at me, the same hurt look in his eyes. "Do you regret the decision you made? Because if you do, I need you to tell me now so we can correct things before it's too late. It's not too late yet, at least not for you."

I shook my head vigorously. "No…I'm sorry T-…Caleb. I didn't mean that. I was just frustrated by how much you've whined today. If you really want to go home, we'll go now and I can just come back one day next week when you're at work. I have plenty to get me by for a while."

"But you don't regret coming? Giving up on everything just to be with me?" He asked quietly.

I shook my head again. "Of course not. I made that decision knowing it was going to be the best decision for me…for us…now and in the future. It's hard…even after just a few days, but I know it's going to get easier with time. I can't imagine leaving you here and I don't want to. I want to be here with you," I replied quietly.

He let out a sigh of what appeared to be relief before stepping forward and taking me into his arms. "I love you so much, Izzy. I'm sorry for being such a pain in the ass today. It's just…you know how much I hate shopping, and doing it for hours on end, two days in a row, has been frustrating when I know there's other things I'd much rather be doing. But if you're not done, then I'll wait patiently, I promise." He gave me his signature smile.

I smiled back at him as I placed my hand on his face. "Let me just pay for these things we've already picked out and I promise we can go." He nodded as I went to pay for the clothes. Troy took most of the bags and carried them to the car. We left the mall.

That night we sat in our apartment, cuddled up on the couch. My head was gently resting against his chest as I listened to his heartbeat. We were sitting quietly, just thinking about everything, when I began to think that we hadn't really discussed our relationship much. Then I began to realize just how quickly everything had progressed for us. We had gone from best friends to a couple, then we broke up, then we were married. We didn't have much of a transition period from stage to stage like a normal couple.

"Caleb?" We had taken to calling each other by our new names, even when it was just the two of us, so that we would get used to it and wouldn't mess up when we were around others.

"Hmm?" I heard him mumble quietly.

"When did you know you were in love with me?" I asked.

Troy cleared his throat. "I think it was the night we broke up. After I got off the phone with you and talked with my parents, I knew there was still a small part of me that was confused, but they helped me to realize just how trustworthy you are and how amazing you are. I think I knew this all along, but I never really took notice of it. Then that night after my dad and I had talked about "the plan", I just knew. I knew that I would never be able to live my life completely happy unless you were in it. Even though we'd only dated a couple of months and hadn't really expressed our feelings for one another to the full extent, I knew you were it for me. And I knew that if you didn't go along with this plan, I'd never be able to get married." I smiled softly at him. "What about you?"

I took a deep breath, thinking about it. "Well…I guess it was shortly after that for me. It was when you were ignoring me and refused to talk to me. I missed you so much, and at first I was wondering what exactly I was missing about you, but then I realized it was everything about you that I missed. I missed all the little things we did together, all the things that make you who you are. And that was the point when I realized that I didn't want to live my life without you. I know I eventually gave up, but I never moved on from you. I still loved you. That day of your memorial service, when I thought I had lost you, all that I could think about was the fact that I thought you had died without me ever telling you exactly how I felt about you. Then that evening when I read your letter, I was confused by everything, but I had so much hope. Because even though I wasn't sure at that point what my decision was going to be, I knew that no matter what I chose to do, I still had the chance to tell you how I felt about you. If I could go back to that day and change the decision that I made, I would in a heartbeat. I think it was just such a huge decision and it just took me a little longer to make the decision that I knew would be best for me. I miss my family already, but I know now that I would never be able to say a permanent goodbye to you. I couldn't possibly ever live without you." Troy leaned down and captured my lips with his in a soft, slow kiss. When he pulled back, I looked up into his eyes, using my fingertips to brush the fringe out of his eyes. "I'm so sorry about our little argument earlier at the store. Please don't ever think that I could regret making this decision to be with you. I know it's hard, but you're my family now. You've always been my family. And we're going to start our own little family some day and be happy in this new life together."

Troy nodded. "I completely agree. And it's ok. I think we both overreacted just a little. I'm sorry I was so whiney. I just hate shopping," he said with a grunt.

I laughed at him. "I know, honey. I promise not to ever make you go shopping that long ever again."

"Good! I don't know how Zeke did it all those years through high school with Sharpay," he said, speaking of a couple of their friends back in Albuquerque.

I laughed. "I'm not that bad!"

He shook his head. "No, I'm sure you're not…but it was bad enough. I hold much more respect for Zeke now. Oh what we do for our women…" Troy groaned.

**Please review!**


	8. Living the New Life

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Chapter 8**

Over the next few months, I settled into the new lifestyle that had been set up for Troy and me. Troy took me to the site where our new house was being built. It was perfect. He told me when he was making all the decisions on design that he was thinking of me the entire time, imagining that this was the house we would share together. Never did he think it would actually happen.

Most of Troy's friends from his company had wives who I became close friends with. We eventually started up a book club within our group to give us all something to do when we weren't shopping or sitting around talking about our husbands. I felt that I fit right into the group and enjoyed having several people I could call on to talk to. I didn't have a job because Troy's provided more than enough for us, so I needed something to pass my time.

Ron, the man who had helped Troy and Jack set everything up, had a wife, Rebecca, who had become my closest friend. She was ten years older than me, but considering she'd come to London for the same reasons I had, she became someone I could confide in. When we first met, she helped me to get started with the one task I had been told to do: work on finishing the decorations for the house. Several times, Rebecca came with me to meet with interior decorators to get different ideas for the new house. However, none of the ideas were ever what I felt Troy and I would really want in our home. So Rebecca and I took it upon ourselves to shop around and find products that I definitely wanted, and in the end, managed to perfectly design the interior of my and Troy's new home to our standards. Once all that was out of the way, Rebecca began introducing me to the other wives of men who worked in the company. We all became close friends and spent lots of time together while our husbands were busy.

By my second month in London, our house had been completed and we were able to move in. The company hosted a large housewarming party for us, and gave us many gifts which helped us to begin furnishing our home. Then, much to the chagrin of Troy, we had to make another large shopping trip to buy new furniture for our home. Troy enjoyed this shopping trip much better than shopping for clothing, but he still didn't particularly like it.

After being in our home for a month, Jack, Lucy, and Kelsi all paid us a visit. Jack said he wanted to check in on the company and see how things were going, but they also wanted to make sure we were doing ok. They were all glad to see how well we were doing in our new surroundings and were even happier when they heard our news.

Troy and I were expecting our first child.

I had already been to the doctor and had been informed I was ten weeks along. I still had six and a half months to go, but couldn't have been happier that this was an experience Troy and I were getting to share together. I confided in Lucy that I had always dreamed my mom would be there to help me through this experience, but I knew that it wasn't possible. Each day it had gotten easier not being able to talk to her, but there were still days when I really struggled with it. I wondered if there would ever be a time when I would get to see her again. When the Boltons left, they promised to come for another visit when the baby arrived. I was already looking forward to that time.

At the end of September, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. We named her Elizabeth Anne Davis. She was perfect and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful little girl. The Boltons came to visit once again, doting on her and refusing to put her down the entire time they were there.

When Troy and I celebrated our first anniversary, Troy promised me he'd take me on that second honeymoon and we'd do something big to celebrate being together for a year. But since Elizabeth was only three months old, we didn't want to travel with her yet. So we decided to wait a couple more months before taking our first family trip. Troy said we had a lot to celebrate and it made this trip a special occasion. So he had been planning to take us to Paris, knowing it had always been my dream to go there someday.

Over the next several years, Troy and I welcomed three other children into the world. When Elizabeth was three, our second daughter Bailey Nicole was born. Two years later, our only son, Alexander Jack, entered the world. We named him after Troy, using what used to be his middle name. After our three children, Troy and I thought we were done and didn't plan on having any more children. However, life continued to throw us some surprises. Shortly after Alex turned 11, Troy and I welcomed our final child into the world, Abigail Rose. At the time, I was 37 and was nervous about the pregnancy, but things went smoothly and Abigail entered the world in perfect health.

So after nearly 18 years in London, Troy and I had achieved our dreams. We had a great life. We had a perfect little family, a place to call home, great friends, and Troy had a great job that allowed us to live a comfortable life. Even though my life didn't turn out the way I thought it would, I never once looked back and regretted the decision I made. I loved Troy with everything in my being and couldn't imagine what my life would have been like had I chosen to stick with the other path.

Maybe one day I would have the courage to tell my kids what I did for love.

**Well there's the last official chapter. I'll put up an epilogue soon. Thanks so much for sticking with the story and continuing to review! I've appreciated the feedback so much and have loved getting to write this story!**


	9. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Epilogue**

No POV

51-year-old Gabriella sat on a plane on her way to her hometown of Albuquerque, NM. She hadn't been back to the town for over thirty years and she was nervous. She had not had any contact with her family. However, her in-laws, the Boltons, had kept her informed on how her family was doing. Her father was doing great, even at 75 years old, but her mother wasn't doing as well. At 72 years old, she had discovered she had cancer and it was already at stage 3. At her age, she hadn't been responding well to the treatments and the doctors weren't sure how long she would last.

Maria Montez didn't feel she had much to fight for. Her daughter, her only child, had disappeared over thirty years ago and she'd given up on most things in life after that. The only thing worth fighting for in her life was her husband, Robert. However, at her age, she didn't have a lot of strength left in her body and could only fight so hard.

Maria lay in a hospital bed in a hospital in Albuquerque. Robert sat in a chair next to her bed reading the newspaper. They heard a soft knock on the door and turned to look as a woman peeked in the door. She looked slightly familiar. She had long dark hair with a few gray streaks in it. Her face was aged, but Maria would know her anywhere.

Tears came to Maria's eyes as she sat there looking at the younger version of herself. "G-Gab-Gabriella?" she stuttered as she choked with emotion.

Gabriella walked slowly to the side of the bed, taking in the appearance of her mother, before grasping her hand gently in her own. She nodded. "Yes, it's me, Mama. I'm home."

Maria's tears came more quickly as she tried to sit up in bed. Gabriella grasped her and hugged her tightly, happy to finally be back in her warm embrace. Robert came around the bed and took in the appearance of his daughter. She had definitely grown up and matured into a beautiful woman. He noticed the rings on her hand and realized just how much they'd missed out on since she'd been gone. But why? Why had she left in the first place?

"Ella?"

Gabriella pulled back from her mother's embrace and turned to look at her father who also had tears streaming down his face. She quickly stepped over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Daddy," she whispered.

After a few minutes, the tears of the three subsided and the parents were able to start asking the questions that had been on their minds since they had seen her walk in the door. Robert was the first to speak up.

"Ella, where have you been all these years?"

Gabriella knew these questions were going to come. She'd already been thinking about what she wanted to tell them, and knew the only acceptable response was the truth. "You're not going to like what I have to say, but I need to you hear me out. I'm going to tell you the story of where I've been and how I got there."

Maria and Robert nodded and sat quietly. "I was devastated when I found out about Troy's accident. You both were there for me that entire week and I couldn't have been more thankful for that. But I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. I just wanted him because I loved him. The day of the memorial service, I went to the Boltons to talk with them. Lucy handed me an envelope and said I was to read the letter then we would talk more. I was confused because I wasn't sure what the letter would contain, but I took it and read it anyway. It was from Troy informing me of this plan he and his parents had come up with to protect him. He'd been teased and taunted so much during that first year of college, combined with all the pressures he received to always be his best here in Albuquerque…it just became too much for him. He slipped into depression that year. I remember so many times just trying to be there for him and be an encouragement, but no matter how happy he seemed when we were together, the negative things in his life always won over and knocked him to the ground again.

"So this plan, even with as much as they knew it would hurt everyone, was to protect Troy and get him away from all of those bad things in his life, hence the accident. However, the accident wasn't real. It was actually staged…meaning Troy was very much alive. After the accident, Troy went and stayed in Phoenix until the day of his memorial service when I was finally informed of what exactly had happened. In the letter, Troy gave me detailed instructions of what he wanted me to do. All those weeks of ignoring me came down to this. It was all planned out and that just happened to be part of it. But he loved me and he wanted me to be part of this plan. So I had a choice to make. Either stay here and say goodbye to him forever, or go with him and say goodbye to all of you. He enclosed an engagement ring and told me that was how I was supposed to show him my decision. He was coming by the house late that night and he'd know what my decision was based on if I was wearing the ring or not.

"At the time I felt like the best decision for me was to stay here and be with you guys, finish college and become a lawyer like I'd always wanted to. But all throughout that next semester, I couldn't help but continue to feel the regret of that decision I'd made, the decision to stay here and say goodbye to him. It hurt so badly knowing that he was somewhere in the world and I wasn't with him. I still loved him so much and wanted nothing more than to be with him and be his wife. So I went and talked to the Boltons and they helped me out.

"Please don't think this was an easy choice for me. I love you guys so much, but after all the hurt I had experienced, I knew I had to take the chance I still had to be with him. So I left in the middle of the night and went to London to be with him. That's where we've been since then. We have a wonderful life there. Jack helped us out and set everything up for us. Troy has a great job that he loves, we have a beautiful home, and we have a family. Troy and I have four children."

Gabriella reached into her purse and pulled out the most recent family picture, which now included Elizabeth's husband and their two children, Bailey's husband and their son, and Jonathon's fiancé. She handed it to Maria, who held it so Robert could see as well. Maria had tears come to her eyes once again.

"That's a beautiful family," Maria whispered.

"Thanks, Mama."

"But how did you do it? How did you go on living life without anyone finding you, especially Troy?" Robert asked.

Gabriella took a deep breath. "Jack had some connections with someone in London who was able to change our identities. He gave both of us new aliases and gave us all the proof we needed to show if someone ever doubted that we were who we said were. Troy has been going by the name of Caleb Davis and I'm Isabelle Davis."

Robert shook his head. "I just can't believe it. All this time…you were right under our nose. You had contact with Jack and Lucy all this time and here we thought you were dead!" Robert began to raise his voice. "I can't believe you would do that to you own parents! I can't believe Jack and Lucy would do that to us!"

Gabriella had tears spring to her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I know I hurt you so much, but I did what I thought was best and honestly I have never regretted the decision I made. I'm happy with how my life turned out. Maybe it isn't quite how we pictured it to be when I was growing up, but I can't imagine it any other way. The only thing I wish was different is that you would get to meet your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I know they would love you. Maybe one day you will. Elizabeth is the only one who knows. I haven't had the courage to tell the others. Abigail is still too young to understand. But maybe one day…"

"Two years…" Maria said. "We searched for you for two years. I couldn't help but think the worst. At first we didn't think much of it. We saw you that night before you left and things seemed fine. And we both had to work the next day," she said, pointing at Robert. "I went to get you from your room, but you weren't there. I thought it was odd because your car was still there, but didn't get concerned, assuming you were probably out with some friends. But you always left notes or called to let me know you'd be gone. But by the next morning, Christmas Eve, you still hadn't shown up and that's when I got concerned. We hadn't seen you in nearly 48 hours and hadn't heard anything from you. I went to search in your room for the numbers of some of your friends, thinking I could call them and hopefully one of them would have seen you. That's when I noticed your purse and phone still in there. I panicked."

Robert picked up where Maria left off. "We called some of your friends, and even the Boltons, but they all said they hadn't seen you. We waited until Christmas morning in hopes you would turn up, but you never did. So we filed a missing persons report. We searched for anything that could lead us to where you might be, but there were no leads at all. For two years, we continued to hold out hope that you would turn up, but there was never anything and we finally assumed the worst…that you had been killed or committed suicide or something…we just assumed you were dead." Robert wiped a tear from his face that had fallen while he was talking.

"There was a part of me that always hoped you were alright and living a good life. But with that hope came the thought that we couldn't have been very good parents if you just left like that," Maria said quietly.

Robert looked to Maria and could see she was tiring quickly. He looked over at Gabriella. He was still angry with Gabriella, which was evident in his eyes, as he was unable to fathom what had possessed her to make such a rash decision like that.

"I think it would be best if you left. Your mother needs her rest."

Gabriella let the rest of the tears that had pooled in her eyes flow down her face as she nodded. "Please just know that I love you so much and I could never ask for better parents than you. I'm sorry for hurting you so much, but I know I made the right decision for me." She stood from her seat at her mother's bed side and headed towards the door.

"Just tell us why you did it," Robert said quietly as Gabriella reached for the door.

She turned back around and looked at him. "I did it for love."

**Well there it is. It turned out a little differently than I had expected, but I like it. It was definitely an intriguing idea that popped in my head, and one that I needed to get out onto paper. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciated your feedback and you sticking with the story. Leave me one last review and let me know what you thought!**


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